Car Review
Features, price make 2024 Nissan Ariya Platinum+ a top EV
There’s really just one major drawback when you compare it to the competition.
Allison Bell | August 1, 2024
Discussed in this article
We’re not supposed to say this, but we don’t love electric vehicles. There! The truth is out. We feel it’s important to mention, given that we’re about to break down our thoughts on the 2024 Nissan Ariya, one of many electric SUVs on the market vying for your attention these days.
We made some preconceived assumptions about the SUV. Like most EVs, it would have a clean, open and modern looking interior. It would probably be pretty zippy off the line but not super impressive once it got up to speed.
The brakes were likely going to be sensitive to bring its massive weight to a quick standstill. Oh, and for sure the electric range would drop much faster than expected. This was pretty much the same story over and over again with virtually every EV that has graced our driveway.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Well, you can imagine our surprise when this electric SUV actually started to grow on us after seven days. And if you’re an EV fan — or perhaps on the fence about them — there’s a good chance the Ariya might sweep you off your feet, too. Here’s what you should know if you’re already in the electric car market or considering breaking into it for the first time.
Less expensive
Here’s good news for anyone looking to buy an Ariya in 2024: Nissan slashed prices by several thousand dollars for this model year. Depending on the trim, you could be paying between $3,500 to $6,000 less than you would for a 2023 Ariya. The goal of the price enhancement was to make the Ariya “appeal to a wider audience of EV buyers,” Nissan said in a statement earlier this year.
The MSRP range runs from $39,590 for the base Engage trim to $54,190 for the line topping Platinum+ model. Here’s a brief overview of all of the Nissan Ariya trims and the major differences among them. Note: All-wheel drive is available for an additional $4,000 on all trims except for Venture+ and Empower+. All-wheel drive is standard on the Engage+ and Platinum+ trims.
Nissan Ariya Engage: $39,590 See listings
216 miles of range
Leatherette upholstery
Heated steering wheel
Nissan Ariya Venture+: $41,190 See listings
304 miles of range
LED headlights
ProPilot Assist
Nissan Ariya Evolve+: $44,190 See listings
289 miles of range
A panoramic moonroof
Wireless charging
Nissan Ariya Engage+: $45,190 See listings
272 miles of range
Standard all-wheel drive
Same features as Engage model
Nissan Ariya Empower+: $47,690 See listings
289 miles of range
ProPilot Assist 2.0 and ProPilot Park
Multicolor ambient lighting
Nissan Ariya Platinum+: $54,190 See listings
267 miles of range
Standard all-wheel drive
Ventilated front seats
We drove the top-tier Platinum+ trim. It came with carpeted floor mats, exterior ground lighting and two-tone paint that brought the total price up to $56,940, including destination fees. It certainly felt clean and classy on the inside, but as someone who wants to maximize the EV’s range, we’d personally opt for the Venture+ trim. It can’t be equipped with all-wheel drive and you don’t get leather seating, but it still comes with plenty of amenities and will save you quite a bit of dough compared to higher trims.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Things we liked
We’ve already spoiled the news that the Nissan Ariya Platinum+ left a favorable impression overall. Here are some of the factors that played into that.
Nice to drive
With a roughly five second 0-60 mph acceleration time, the Ariya definitely lived up to our expectations of being fast off the line. But what was more impressive was that it maintained that oomph, even after coming up to speed. Unlike many other EVs, the Ariya doesn’t have overly sensitive brakes that send your stomach lurching at every stop. They were responsive enough to bring the heavy piece of machinery to a halt quickly, but not at the expense of your neck, which we appreciated.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Clean and well-built cabin
When you sit down in the Nappa leather upholstered seats in a Nissan Ariya Platinum+, be sure to take in your surroundings before you start driving it. We loved the minimalistic yet high-quality design touches such as the mix of faux wood and suede materials that spanned the dash, as well as the geometric patterns inside the cupholders, on the carpeted floor mats and on other parts of the interior. You can tell that a lot of time and attention went into making this thing feel upscale and classy — which it totally does.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Excellent space and visibility
The Ariya’s somewhat wide and boxy shape plays to its advantage in terms of visibility. The view out the rear window is less generous, but with the added digital rearview mirror in our Platinum+ tester, that wasn’t a problem. Its wide stance also meant that both rows had plenty of legroom, enough for adults to spread out and be comfortable.
Convenience galore
The Ariya doesn’t skimp on standard features. No matter which trim you buy, you’ll get a 12.3-inch touch screen, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and a Wi-Fi hot spot, among many other amenities. Our Platinum+ tester came with a heated steering wheel as well as heated and ventilated front seats that are hard to live without once you get used to them.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Self-parking was cool
The Ariya isn’t the first car we’ve had that offers a self-parking feature — but it’s the first one we’ve actually put to the test. Not wanting to make a spectacle, we decided to try it out in a local church parking lot with virtually no other cars present. It took a few tries before we figured out exactly how to get the system to work — you have to place the open spot in just the right place so that the sensor picks up on it.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
But once you get the blue parking arrow, you’re good to go. Just hit “start” on the center screen, take your hands off the wheel and let the Ariya do its thing. It immediately turns on the turn signal, pulls the EV forward on its own, turns the wheel and backs up slowly into the spot. Once it senses that it’s gone far enough, it automatically puts the car into park.
Though we feel pretty capable of parking a car, this is definitely something that might come in handy for someone who could use a little extra help in a tight situation — aging parents or timid teenagers, perhaps?
Things we didn’t like so much
Despite its long list of admirable attributes, there were a few things about the Ariya that puzzled us. But most of these came down to personal preferences, so keep that in mind.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Haptic buttons on the dash
Haptic or touch-sensitive controls are all the rage in new cars these days, but we’re not fans. In an effort to make the dash as clean as possible, all the volume and climate controls are integrated into the fake wood trim. While it definitely looks nice, they weren’t exactly user-friendly. We had a hard time figuring out if our inputs were even being read, and using the controls proved to be a distraction while driving. We’d prefer either totally digital or regular buttons.
Trying too hard to be techy/modern
This may be a little overly critical, but we thought Nissan might have been trying a little too hard to make the Ariya feel like a futuristic car. We liked the overall look and layout of the interior, but certain features just didn’t feel necessary.
Photo courtesy of Nissan
Yes, it’s cool that the center console can expand and open up at the press of a button — but does it need to? A simple open-and-shut door would suffice. And it would be faster to access. Speaking as a mom who’s had to make a mad dash for a Kleenex on more than one occasion, we prefer to keep things simple and straightforward.
Charging time
This might be the Ariya’s biggest drawback when you’re comparing it to other electric SUVs. Even with a DC fast charger, it can take 35 to 90 minutes for the battery to go from 20% to 80%. As long as you keep it charged overnight at home, you should be fine, but if you’re planning any long trips, this will definitely add up.
Shop all 2024 Nissan Ariya models
Would we buy the Nissan Ariya?
While we’re not ready to hop on the EV train just yet, we’d feel comfortable recommending the Ariya to someone who’s in the market for an electric SUV. It’s roomy, comfortable, easy to drive, offers several creature comforts, comes with either front- or all-wheel drive and has a pretty good range. It’s not flawless and there’s some heavy competition in its arena, but it’s a definite contender.
Shop all 2024 Nissan Ariya models on KSL Cars
*KSL Cars does not endorse any vehicles. The views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the views or opinions of KSL.com or its employees.
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